Cnemaspis matahari, Nashriq & Davis & Bauer & Das, 2022

Nashriq, Izneil, Davis, Hayden R., Bauer, Aaron M. & Das, Indraneil, 2022, Three New Species of Cnemaspis (Sauria: Gekkonidae) from Sarawak, East Malaysia, Borneo, Zootaxa 5120 (1), pp. 1-29 : 11-15

Cnemaspis matahari sp. nov.

White Rock Gecko; Cicak Batu Putih

Fig. 5 , Fig. 6 , Table 2

Holotype. Adult male, UNIMAS 9602 , collected by Hayden Davis and Izneil Nashriq on 5 August 2017, from the Serian-Tebedu limestone hills (1.131015°N, 110.443988°E; 50 m), Serian , Sarawak, East Malaysia (Borneo).

Paratypes. Serian-Tebedu limestone hills (1.131015°N, 110.443988°E; 50 m), Sarawak, East Malaysia (Borneo) UNIMAS 9603 collected by Hayden Davis and Izneil Nashriq on 5 August 2017 ; UNIMAS 9606 , UNIMAS 9607 , UNIMAS 9608 , collected by Hayden Davis and Izneil Nashriq on 28 May 2018 ; UNIMAS 9573 , UNIMAS 9574 , collected by Izneil Nashriq and Indraneil Das on 22 June 2019 ; Kampung Mambong , Siburan (1.355571°N, 110.350767°E; 50 m) UNIMAS 9611 , collected by Hayden Davis and Izneil Nashriq on 4 June 2018 ; Jambusan-Semadang limestone hills (1.318342°N, 110.254339°E; 50 m), Sarawak, East Malaysia (Borneo) UNIMAS 9615 , collected by Hayden Davis and Izneil Nashriq on 6 June 2018 .

Diagnosis. SVL up to 56 mm; 11–14 supralabials; 9–13 infralabials; 2–3 internasals; 5–9 postmentals; ventral scales keeled; adult males with a discontinuous row of 6–12 pore-bearing, precloacal scales with round pores arranged in a chevron, separated at midline by 2–4 poreless scales; paravertebral and lateral row of caudal tubercles present; ventrolateral caudal tubercles absent; caudal tubercles not encircling tail; subcaudals keeled, bearing an enlarged median row of keeled subcaudal scales; 2–7/2–7 (L/R) postcloacal tubercles on each side of tail base; no enlarged femoral or subtibial scales; submetatarsal scales of first toe enlarged; 24–31 fourth toe subdigital lamellae; faint Dusky Brown and Lavender caudal bands anteriorly, immaculate posteriorly; and regenerated tail Spectrum Yellow.

Description of holotype. Male with an original tail; snout-vent length 55 mm; supralabials 14/13 (L/R); infralabials 12/12 (L/R); head short (HL/SVL 0.26), narrow (HW/SVL 0.18), depressed (HD/HL 0.43), distinct from neck; snout long (ES/HW 0.65), much longer than eye diameter (ED/ES 0.50); scales on snout and forehead weakly keeled, with posterior portion of each scale raised; scales on snout larger than those on occipital region; eye small (ED/HL 0.22); orbits of eyes with extra-brillar fringes; pupil round; enlarged supraciliaries on top half of orbit; tympanum deep, oval shaped, greatest diameter vertically, narrow (EL/HL 0.11); eye to ear distance greater than diameter of eyes (EE/ED 1.19); rostral half as deep as wide, contacted posteriorly by 2 nasals and 2 internasals, rostrals is in contact with supralabial I. Nostrils oval, situated within nasals, and oriented dorsally; nostrils are in narrow contact with supralabial I; 6 postnasals bound nasal; mental large, subtriangular, much deeper than wide, five postmentals border mental; chin scales meet infralabials.

Body slender, short (AG/SVL 0.41); ventral scales equal in size from chin region to gular; increase in size from gular to pectoral and abdominal regions, weakly keeled. Dorsal scales increase in size from head to nape and subequal throughout trunk. Scales on dorsum at midbody approximately equal to those of venter at same level; vertebral scales not reduced; paravertebral rows of tubercles on dorsum present; dorsal tubercles extend from occiput to base of tail; tubercles dense dorsally and absent on lower flanks; pectoral and abdominal scales distinctly elongated, imbricate and unicarinate; precloacal scales oval, unicarinate; discontinuous row of 6/6 (L/R), pore bearing, precloacal scales with round pores arranged in a chevron, separated by 3 keeled, poreless scales; no femoral pores; no preanal groove.

Forelimbs moderately long, slender, shorter than hindlimbs (FL/SVL 0.20, TBL/SVL 0.23). Dorsal scales on forelimbs, raised, unicarinate, juxtaposed, reduced in size posteriorly. ventral scales of forelimbs slightly raised, slightly unicarinate, juxtaposed, reduced in size posteriorly. Dorsal scales of hindlimbs raised, unicarinate, juxtaposed, reduced in size posteriorly; ventral scales of hindlimbs slightly raised, slightly unicarinate, juxtaposed, reduced in size posteriorly. Palmar and plantar scales smooth, granular, raised. Digits elongate, all bearing claws that are slightly recurved; subdigital scansors entire, except for 1–2 fragmented at base of digits, unnotched; an enlarge scansor towards the base of digits, which is more than twice width of other scansors; interdigital webbing absent. Subdigital lamellae (manus) I (15); II (20); III (26); IV (29); V (20); (pes) I (12); II (20); III (24); IV (29); V (23).

Original tail, longer than snout-vent length (TL/SVL 1.28); tail base distinctly swollen; tail arranged in segmented whorls; caudal tubercles keeled, arranged on paravertebral and lateral rows; caudal tubercles do not encircle tail at each whorl; 2/2 (L/R) postcloacal tubercles; tail with distinct pairs of furrows laterally; subcaudal scales unicarinate; a single median row of enlarged, keeled, imbricate, subcaudal scales with 3–4 scales per segment.

Variation in paratype. The seven males ( UNIMAS 9573 , 9603 , 9606-9608 , 9611 , 9615 ) and one female paratype ( UNIMAS 9574 ) closely resemble the holotype in colour and pattern, but differ in the shade of colouration. Spectrum Yellow on upper flanks extends to paravertebral region or further to axillary region. 10–14 supralabials; 9–13 infralabials; 2–3 internasals; 5–9 postmentals; discontinuous row of 6–12 precloacal scales with round pores separated at midline by 2–4 poreless scales; 2–7/2–7 (L/ R) postcloacal tubercles on side of tail base; tail arranged in segmented whorls; caudal tubercles do not encircle tail at each whorl; subcaudals with a single median row of imbricated, enlarged, keeled, raised, subtriangular scales, with 3–4 scales per segment. All show regenerated tails with differing proportions of original tail present. Tails regenerated from base or middle are yellow. Scales from dorsal to ventrolateral surfaces of regenerated tail are small, keeled, slightly imbricate, and subequal in size .

Skeletal notes. Holotype UNIMAS 9602 and paratype UNIMAS 9603 have 26 presacral and 2 sacral vertebrae. The phalangeal formulae are 2–3–4–5–3 manus and 2–3–4–5–4 pes. Both specimens are skeletally mature, showing fusion of epiphyses.

Colouration in life. Dorsal ground colour of body and limbs Trogon Yellow; head Spectrum Yellow; ground colour of nape and shoulder region Pratt’s Payne’s Gray bearing a pair of medium, round, Dusky Brown spots in shoulder axillary; white flecks on nape to shoulder region; faint Sulfur Yellow banding on body; digits Pratt’s Payne’s Gray with faint dark banding; anterior one-half of tail Lavender bearing faint, Dusky Brown bands; posterior one-half of original tail immaculate; all ventral surfaces Pratt’s Payne’s Gray except for posterior half of tail, which is white; and regenerated tail Spectrum Yellow.

Etymology. The epithet matahari is Malay for sun, in reference to the yellowish tint on the species. It is used as a noun in apposition.

Natural history. Found on limestone escarpments and outcrops and is exclusive to the Siburan and Serian Districts. Individuals were collected between 2000–2200 hrs. Surveys suggest the geckos are mostly active (emerging from rock crevices) when moisture and humidity are high. During dry conditions, when the temperature is relatively high, geckos are not observed in the open. Water droplets can be seen dripping from the limestone formations at the sites where this gecko occurs. Small streams are present with their sources within the karst. Limestone hills are surrounded by vegetation (dipterocarp forest and herbaceous plants, Figure 7 ). Cnemaspis matahari sp. nov. occurs sympatrically with the Cyrtodactylus geckos C. limajalur , C. consobrinus and C. pubisulcus , with Cnemaspis found on the lower part of the limestone hill close to the ground, whereas Cyrtodactylus spp. occur from ground level up to> 10 m.

Comparisons. Cnemaspis matahari sp. nov. differs from other Bornean Cnemaspis by having a bright yellow head, body and limbs; 10–14 supralabials; 9–13 infralabials (versus 10–11 in C. lagang sp. nov.); 5–9 postmentals (versus 3 in C. kendallii , 10 in C. dringi , 10–11 in C. lagang sp. nov.); discontinuous rows of 6–12, pore bearing, precloacal scales (versus none in C. kendallii , 5–6 in C. dringi , 14–15 in nigridia ); 2–7/2–7 (L/R) postcloacal tubercles (versus 1–2/ 1–2 in C. lagang sp. nov. and 1–2/ 1–2 in C. sirehensis sp. nov.); 26–31 subdigital fourth toe lamellae (versus 29 in C. dringi ); having weekly keeled enlarged median subcaudal scales (versus smooth enlarged median subcaudal in C. nigridia , C. leucura , and C. paripari ); faint Dusky Brown and Lavender caudal bands anteriorly, immaculate posteriorly and regenerated tail Spectrum Yellow (versus Dusky Brown and Buff-Yellow caudal bands in C. kendallii, Dusky Brown and Orange Yellow caudal bands in C. nigridia , Pratt’s Payne’s Gray anteriorly and immaculate posteriorly in C. paripari, Faint Dusky Brown and Trogon Yellow caudal bands anteriorly and immaculate posteriorly in C. lagang sp. nov., and Brownish Olive and Sulfur Yellow caudal bands in C. sirehensis sp. nov.).

Figures

FIGURE 5: (A) Cnemaspis matahari sp. nov., paratype UNIMAS 9573, SVL 56 mm, adult male from Serian–Tebedu limestone hills, Serian District, First Division, Sarawak. (B) type series displaying dorsal side of the body (from left to right: above, UNIMAS 9608, UNIMAS 9607, UNIMAS 9606, UNIMAS 9603, UNIMAS 9602; below, UNIMAS 9574, UNIMAS 9573, UNIMAS 9615 and UNIMAS 9611).

FIGURE 6: Ventral view of Cnemaspis matahari sp. nov. type series (from left to right: above, UNIMAS 9608, UNIMAS 9607, UNIMAS 9606, UNIMAS 9603, UNIMAS 9602; below, UNIMAS 9574, UNIMAS 9573, UNIMAS 9615 and UNIMAS 9611); Close up of body parts (A) Postmental, (B) Cloaca, (C) Subcaudal, (D) Manus and (E) Pes.

FIGURE 7: Habitat and microhabitat of Cnemaspis matahari sp. nov. in Serian limestone region, Serian District, Sarawak, East Malaysia (Borneo)